Author Bio:
Sunshine Rodgers is a Best Selling Author, Blogger, and Entrepreneur. Her fiction novels, children’s books and nonfiction books have been made into audio books and translated in different languages. Sunshine hopes her stories show off the beauty of Friendship and Love. She enjoys writing about the oh-so-good parts of life, always concluding her pages with a happy ending. Sunshine’s social media sites and personal blog reaches thousands of readers a week. Her merchandise line and author events can be found on her website: sunshinerodgers.com. Sunshine is married to Travis Rodgers, the love of her life and they live in the sunny state of Florida.
What inspires you to write?
I love being a Full-Time Author and I get personally inspired over life events.
For example, in my book, "The Ring Does Not Fit", Lee and Alena have been married for 7 years as they find commonalities and fresh revelations to make their marriage stronger.
I have also been married for 7 years. And my middle name is Alena. My husband's middle name is Lee. I choose my husband over other suitors or other temptations and I wanted "The Ring Does Not Fit" to share that story.
Another example, in my book "The Characters Within," Brittany is a Cheese Crusader at a fictitious theme park, "Cheddar and Such" where she works with the animatronics Patty the Pretzel and Peter the Breadstick.
I have spent over 5 years working part time at a theme park and I was definitely able to utilize my wacky experiences on the pages.
My 9 books are always inspired by my real-life friendships, relationships and various life encounters.
Tell us about your writing process.
When I sit down to write a new novel, I will usually start with one line as my guide.
For example, my book "After You: A Demon is Always Lurking Nearby" started with the line: A story told from a demon's point of view as he works for the Underworld.
Then I will divide that story into 3 sections: beginning, middle, end.
Simple enough.
In those sections, I will list 3-5 points which may indicate plot twists, developing romances, character flaws or redemptive endings.
So whenever I hit a writer's block writing my story, I'll go back to this very simple graph I typed up to help direct my story.
Draft #1 is always the hardest to write so to make my life a little easier, creating that initial story grid is ideal…at least for the few beginning drafts until the story can naturally develop on its own.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
My characters are very special to me.
In fact, so many of my characters are based off the likeness of real-life people (these people are informed ahead of time that I am using their name and likeness on the pages).
In the first few drafts, I am creating the characters and the world. I don't really know my characters, they don't know each other and they are unfamiliar in their world.
The more I type, expand on my story and progress along, the more I start to see characters "click" with each other, saying lines without me, interacting in this world I've created. By about draft #7….I become less of a writer and more of an observer.
Who are your favorite authors?
I am a sucker for Sarah Dessen. Her book, "The Truth about Forever"….I can read again and again!! The male protagonist, Wes is just so "dreamy" and the odd-ball characters represented in Wish catering are so fun. I can connect with the main character, Macy who needs to let down her guard down and live more and not care what other people think. The story is written from a first-person narrative and I love that. I always write my fiction stories from the main character's perspective. Her writing and books are soo good!
How did you decide how to publish your books?
My first two books I signed with Xulon Press.
Xulon Press publishes Christian works. My have a great reputation and I was eager to sign a book deal with them.
My other 7 books, I signed with RWG Publishing. I am now an Author Representative to RWG Publishing. I love what Bill Vincent and the staff have done for my books! Since signing with RWG, my books have landed on 21+ different Amazon Best Seller lists in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. , created into audio books and translated into various languages. I have a team of 13 people who are contributors to my works. It's been a terrific journey!
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
Book Publishing is certainly expanding and growing!
It is possible now to write your book, create the cover, format the text and submit your work online.
For an avid reader like me, I love to grab my hands on books that can share the written word through various streams and outlets. There are so many stories to be told and I am anxious to read them all!
For those aspiring writers, never be afraid to write your story! This is a great time to be an Author!
What genres do you write?
Young Adult , Adult Fiction, Christian , Inspirational , Fiction , Nonfiction , Children's Book , Romance , Fantasy
What formats are your books in?
eBook, Print, Audiobook
Website(s)
Sunshine Rodgers Home Page Link
Follow Sunshine Rodgers On Amazon
Author’s Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
All information is provided by the author and is presented as it was submitted so you the reader get to hear the author’s own “voice” in their interview.
